Krav Maga or Q'rabh Magga lit. "contact combat",
"close combat" or "full contact") is an eclectic hand-to-hand
combat system developed in Israel that involves wrestling, grappling and
striking techniques, mostly known for its extremely efficient and brutal counter-attacks,
as it is also taught to elite special forces around the world. It was derived from street-fighting skills
developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler,
as a means of defending the Jewish quarter during a period of anti-Semitic
activity in Bratislava
in the mid- to late-1930s. In the late-1940s, following his immigration to Israel, he
began to provide hand-to-hand combat training to what was to become the IDF,
developing the techniques that became known as Krav Maga. It has since
been refined for both civilian and military applications.
Some refinements include, but are not limited to, the incorporation of
elements from traditional Asian martial arts.
Krav Maga has a philosophy emphasizing threat neutralization,
simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers, and aggression. Krav Maga
is used by the IDF Special Forces units and several closely related variations
have been developed and adopted by law enforcement and intelligence
organizations, Mossad, Shin Bet, FBI, SWAT units of the NYPD and United States
Special Operations Forces. There are several organizations teaching variations
of Krav Maga internationally.
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Basic principles
Generally, there are no rules in Krav Maga, as it is a defense fighting
technique which is not regulated, but utilized to keep the user safe and
incapacitate the opponent by any means necessary. Men and women generally
undergo the same drills. It has no sporting federation, and there are no
official uniforms or attire, although some organizations do recognize progress
through training with rank badges, different levels, and belts.
General principles include:
- Counter attacking as soon as
possible (or attacking preemptively).
- Targeting attacks to the
body's most vulnerable points such as the eyes, jaw, throat, groin, knee
etc.
- Neutralizing the opponent as
quickly as possible by responding with an unbroken stream of counter
attacks and if necessary a take down/joint break.
- Maintaining awareness of
surroundings while dealing with the threat in order to look for escape
routes, further attackers, objects that could be used to defend or help
attack and so on.
Basic training is a mixed aerobic and anaerobic workout. Protective pads and
other personal protection equipment may be used during initial training.
Scenarios are used to train personnel for situations typically encountered in
street patrol or combat situations. Training scenarios teach students to ignore
distractions. Other
training methods to increase realism might include blindfolding or exercising
trainees to near exhaustion before dealing with a simulated attack, as well as
training outdoors on a variety of surfaces and restrictive situations.
Training also covers situational awareness to develop an understanding of
one's surroundings and potentially threatening circumstances before an attack
occurs. It may also cover ways to deal with potentially violent situations, and
physical and verbal methods to avoid violence whenever possible.
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